'Joy and Resistance'

Six weeks after Days of Ash, and again surprising everyone, Easter Lily dropped on on April 3rd.

We gathered some reaction to Days of Ash in this story and here's a roundup of early reviews for Easter Lily.

'Tied together by (a) thread of hope, by the desire to weave and restore new perspectives in a world too overwhelmed by the present. Yet another act of joy and resistance from the Dublin band', said Italy's La Repubblica. 

'Emotion takes center stage,' was the verdict of Virgin Radio France.  'The band explores universal themes: human relationships, faith, doubt, and that quest for meaning that has run through their entire discography for decades." 

'Easter Lily explores the internal landscapes of friendship, recovery, and spiritual renewal. The significance of [the album] lies in its intimate nature'. Australia's Noise11

IRELAND

An 'endearingly honest, questing record about friendship, faith, art, meaning and, appropriately for Easter, death and the possibility of rebirth.' Irish Times

'They really have no business being this great right now,' ran the front page of the Irish Independent. 'U2 have answered fans' prayers.' Easter Lily's six tracks are a 'celebration of friendship' and songs 'of encouragement and acceptance…pilgrimage…new life and resurrection'.

'U2 are a great band. That's what you hear across this EP, and that is more than enough', Pat Carty added elsewhere in the Independent. 'Fifty years after Larry Mullen pinned that note on the school noticeboard and they're releasing material this vital. Songs of defiance. Songs of hope.'

UK

Easter Lily is 'their best collection of songs in decades' says MOJO, adding 'The Edge's signature semaphoric guitar is thrillingly conjoined in perpetual motion with the post-punk era's least showy yet staunchest rhythm section'.

Sonically speaking,, NME described the EP variously as 'classic arena-ready rock hymnal sound… open road anthemics…tender…kaleidoscopic…somber' and 'Las Vegas Sphere-sized dose of signature U2'. 

'Its tone is redemptive but not cloying' said the Financial Times of the EP. 'Coexist (I Will Bless The Lord At All Times?)' is the highlight, a Brian Eno-assisted electronic meditation about children and war. Religious faith is the source of the song's tested but abiding sense of hope. There's no preachiness here. If nothing else, it restores belief in U2 as a musical force.'

'Its songs look at friendship, loss and hope, with the dynamism of guitarist The Edge harking back powerfully to the majesty of 1987's The Joshua Tree….we're even treated to The Edge on lead vocals!' Daily Mail

'Dispensing reassurance in a troubled world.' (The Times)

While Days of Ash 'felt like a series of urgent dispatches from a world in turmoil, Easter Lily explores the internal strength required to navigate that chaos'. Music-News.com

'An Easter treat' Contact Music

US

'These songs were birthed for this moment in time, designed for reflection with themes of friendship, forgiveness of self and finding beauty in the darkness. It's also a reminder of what the band does best – nudging us to think while enveloping us in layers of chiming guitars and the steady heartbeat of a bass drum'. USA Today

The New York Times said Easter Lily is 'filled with songs that ponder but ultimately affirm faith', singling out the track 'Easter Parade' as 'perfectly harness(ing) U2's long-established skills: a vast virtual soundstage, surging and then explosive drums, foundational bass lines, chiming guitar and piano riffs, near-subliminal electronics and choirlike vocal harmonies behind Bono's rawly sincere lead vocals'.

Together, Easter Lily and Songs of Ash 'offer a powerful way to reflect on our exterior and interior worlds – from defiance to introspection – heralding an artistic renaissance for the band amidst their self-proclaimed “wilderness years"'. Atwood Magazine

'Bono has one of the best voices in rock history. His confidence is at an all-time high at the end of “COEXIST." He sings the last bit a capella, vulnerably showcasing his voice, which has aged like a fine wine'. ClutchPoints.com

'A six-song meditation on friendship, grief, faith and the possibility of renewal'. Spin